-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A decade ago , they zoomed down the futuristic highways of science fiction film Minority Report . Now , driverless cars may be coming to the roads of the real world .

Driverless cars have long been the realm of fantasy , but the boss of one of the world 's largest auto makers says they could hit showrooms within the next 10 years .

Carlos Ghosn , chief executive of Renault-Nissan , told CNN 's Max Foster that the company is targeting a `` totally autonomous '' car by 2020 .

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Ghosn said that a car with artificial intelligence would be `` a huge advantage , '' allowing people to use the time saved in commuting to be more productive .

`` People on average in the world spend two hours in a car per day , '' he said . Ghosn added that consumers will be able to use the commute to teach their children or consult with their doctor while being chauffeured around in their cars .

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The self-driving car has been a staple in Hollywood blockbusters as a symbol of an advanced society in a futuristic world .

This month Nissan took the first step towards autonomous vehicles by unveiling the latest version of its Qashqai Crossover in London .

And Ghosn said some of the technology needed for a driverless car is in the new model .

`` This is not a car with autonomous driving , '' he said , '' -LSB- but -RSB- there are plenty of small features which will be at the base of autonomous driving to help you avoid an accident . ''

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In Nissan 's pursuit of a driverless car , the company has outlined two key pillars ; zero emissions and zero fatalities .

Headlights that dim automatically , fitted cameras to maintain distance from other vehicles and detectors to aid blind spots are just some of the features on the new Qashqai .

Nissan plans to showcase its autonomous vehicle technology at the Tokyo Motor Show when it opens to the public on November 23 .

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Qashqai sales are a rare glimmer of growth in a European car market that is trying to recover after the 2008 financial crisis .

`` They are the number one most sold car in Europe , more than 240,000 , presenting more than 30 % of sales , '' Ghosn said .

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And the CEO , who heads the longstanding partnership between French Renault and Japanese Nissan , said the `` systematic decline '' of the European car market is now over .

In spite of Europe 's decline , the Renault Nissan Alliance , which was formed in 1999 , has continued with its 4 billion euro -LSB- $ 5.4 billion -RSB- investment in zero emission and electric vehicles .

`` Europe has been through terrible years for the last five years , '' he added , `` it does n't look like it will continue to drop . The bad news is that if there is growth , it 's going to be very small . ''

CNN 's Oliver Joy contributed to this story

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Carlos Ghosn says Renault-Nissan is targeting an autonomous vehicle within the next decade

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Driverless cars have appeared in a number of sci-fi movies including Hollywood hits I , Robot and Minority Report

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Ghosn said some of the technology needed for a driverless car is in the Nissan 's new Qashqai model